Joseph Sullivan an Uber’s former chief security officer was charged with an attempt to cover up or 2016 hack.
This hack was targeted to hijack personal information of 57 million app users and drivers from Uber.
As per the Department of Justice, he has been charged with obstruction of justice and misprision of a felony.
As per the reports, on 14th November 2016, Sullivan was addressed by a hacker that the company’s system was breached. Sullivan rather than addressing the issue to the officials concealed it from them.
This incident took place after exactly 10 days when Sullivan has previously testified to the FTC about a breach.
The complaint clearly stated that “Witnesses reported Sullivan was visibly shaken by the events. A witness also reported that Sullivan stated in a private conversation that he could not believe they had let another breach happen and that the team had to make sure word of the breach did not get out.”
It is also quite clear that he paid hackers dollar hundred thousand in the form of Bitcoin. This was done through a bug bounty program. The hackers were also made to sign a false contract.
In the year 2017, the new management of Uber disclosed the issue to FTC.
Uber also stated that “We continue to cooperate fully with the Department of Justice’s investigation. Our decision in 2017 to disclose the incident was not only the right thing to do, it embodies the principles by which we are running our business today: transparency, integrity, and accountability.”
Sullivan was also accused of misleading the company. He is also said to made edits in the team’s draft.
Both of the hackers were although pleaded guilty on October 30, 2019. Sullivan, if convicted would get five years in prison for the obstruction charge plus three years for the misprision charge levied against him.